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72-520: The Chinese Immigration Act, 1885 was an act of the Parliament of Canada that placed a head tax of $ 50 (equivalent to $ 1,749 in 2023) on all Chinese immigrants entering Canada. It was based on the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Chinese Immigration , which were published in 1885. It was granted royal assent on 20 July 1885, and followed the U.S. Chinese Exclusion Act , which

144-453: A royal commission was appointed to obtain proof that restricting Chinese immigration would be in the best interests of the country. Prime Minister John A. Macdonald originally refused to introduce prohibitive measures, but eventually yielded and appointed the commission. The Royal Commission on Chinese Immigration in 1885 interviewed hundreds of people with the goal of understanding the majority's view on Chinese immigration. The commission

216-596: A $ 50 head tax on Chinese immigrants, with the exceptions of diplomats , government representatives, tourists , merchants , scientists, and students . The imposed duty of $ 50 was a significant increase from the $ 10 duty recommended by the royal commission. This piece of legislation became the first in Canada's history to exclude immigrants on the basis of their ethnic origin. It also defined "Chinese Immigrant" in section one as "The expression 'Chinese Immigrant' means any person of Chinese origin entering Canada and not entitled to

288-542: A World War II veteran, conducted a cross-country Ride for Redress on his Honda Gold Wing motorcycle, whereupon his arrival in Ottawa Prime Minister Paul Martin refused to meet him. On November 17, 2005, the National Congress of Chinese Canadians (NCCC) announced in a turn of events that an agreement had been reached between 11 of its member Chinese-Canadian groups and the federal Cabinet, wherein

360-473: A language test that was created to prevent the immigration of Chinese people to the province. Thus, the act contributed to anti-Chinese sentiment across Canada. Although the Chinese Immigration Act, 1923 was repealed in 1947, restrictions remained in place during the 1950s and 1960s. For example, immigration remained limited to the wives of Chinese Canadian citizens and their unmarried children under

432-431: A letter, the following year, that the government "cannot rewrite history" and would not grant financial compensation or redress to groups for past injustices. Instead, the letter reaffirmed $ 24 million in financing for a Canadian Race Relations Foundation, an idea raised by the previous Conservative government. The CCNC and a number of regional groups across Canada continued to raise the issue whenever they could, including

504-560: A museum wing, and other collective measures that would also include several other redress-seeking communities. These were rejected outright by the Chinese Canadian national groups. However, in the same year, after Jean Chrétien became prime minister, the newly elected Liberal government openly refused to provide an apology or redress at all with the Multiculturalism Minister Sheila Finestone announcing in

576-876: A number of groups, among them the Halifax Redress Committee; the British Columbia Coalition of Head Tax Payers, Spouses and Descendants; ACCESS; the Ontario Coalition of Head Tax Payers and Families; the CCNC; the Edmonton HTEA Redress Committee of the Chinese Canadian Redress Alliance; and, the Montreal chapter of the Chinese Canadian Redress Alliance. A number of the leading groups demanded meaningful redress, not only for

648-557: A preliminary meeting between Chinese Canadians representing various groups (including some head tax payers), Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister Jason Kenney , and Heritage Minister Bev Oda , resulting in the "distinct possibility" of an apology being issued before July 1, to commemorate the anniversary of the enacting of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1923 . The government's acknowledgement followed in

720-421: A redress. By 1993, a redress proposal was submitted to the representatives of five groups, including Chinese Canadians. At this time, the redress only offered an omnibus apology. The offer was rejected by the Chinese Canadian groups, and no resolutions were made that federal term. As a result of the act and its imposed head tax, a redress, with apologies and compensations, took place only officially in 2006. After

792-615: A submission to the United Nations Human Rights Commission and undertaking court action against the Crown-in-Council, arguing that the federal Crown should not be profiting from racism, and that it had a responsibility under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and international human rights law. In a CA$ 1.2 billion legal challenge led by the CCNC, it was argued that the apology and compensation for

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864-448: Is known as a private member's bill . In territories with a multicameral parliament, most bills may be first introduced in any chamber. However, certain types of legislation are required, either by constitutional convention or by law, to be introduced into a specific chamber. For example, bills imposing a tax , or involving public expenditure , are introduced into the House of Commons in

936-445: Is passed by Parliament it becomes an act and part of statute law. There are two types of bill and act, public and private . Public acts apply to the whole of the UK or a number of its constituent countries – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Private acts are local and personal in their effect, giving special powers to bodies such as local authorities or making exceptions to

1008-887: The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms had been proclaimed and entrenched in the Constitution Act, 1982 . Over 4,000 other head tax payers and their family members were eventually registered by the Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC) and its member organizations across Canada, after the issue gathered broad public attention on the CJVB radio program, Chinese Voice , hosted by Richmond, British Columbia, personality Hanson Lau in February 1984. The redress campaign included holding community meetings, gathering support from other groups and prominent people, increasing

1080-407: The Parliament of England did not originally have titles, and could only be formally cited by reference to the parliamentary session in which they were passed, with each individual act being identified by year and chapter number. Descriptive titles began to be added to the enrolled acts by the official clerks, as a reference aid; over time, titles came to be included within the text of each bill. Since

1152-624: The Parliament of India , every bill passes through following stages before it becomes an Act of Parliament of India : In the Irish Parliament, the Oireachtas , bills pass through the following stages. Bills may be initiated in either the Dáil or the Seanad, and must pass both houses. In New Zealand, the bill passes through the following stages: A draft piece of legislation is called a bill ; when this

1224-508: The Queen-in-Council would pay CA$ 12.5 million for the creation of a new non-profit foundation to educate Canadians about anti-Chinese discrimination, but with a specific pre-condition that no apology would be expected from the government. The NCCC was formed on a platform of "no apology and no individual compensation," and was seen by many as the reason the Liberal government selected them as

1296-505: The Speech from the Throne delivered by Governor General Michaëlle Jean on April 4. That year, from April 21 to 30, the Crown-in-Council hosted the first, formal public consultations across Canada in cities most actively involved and responsible for the campaign: Halifax, Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton, Montreal, and Winnipeg. They included the personal testimony of elders and representatives from

1368-524: The United Nations special rapporteur on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, concluded that Canada should redress the head tax to Chinese Canadians in response to a submission by May Chiu, legal counsel to the Chinese Canadian Redress Alliance. The Report's recommendations once again drew national and international attention to the Chinese Canadian redress campaign. In 2005, Gim Wong, an 82-year-old son of two head tax payers and

1440-538: The federal election in 2004 , the New Democratic Party and Bloc Québécois stated, during the leadup to the January 2006 election , their support for an apology and redress for the head tax. Similarly, on December 8, 2005, Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper released a press statement expressing his support for an apology for the head tax. As a part of his own party platform , Harper promised to work with

1512-503: The head of state . In some countries, such as in France, Belgium, Luxembourg , Spain and Portugal, the term for a bill differs depending on whether it is initiated by the government (when it is known as a "draft"), or by the parliament (a "proposition", i.e., a private member's bill). In Australia, the bill passes through the following stages: In Canada, the bill passes through the following stages: The committee considers each clause of

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1584-518: The ministers of the Crown and the public. Some of the groups named in the agreement later stated publicly that their names had been used without permission and in other cases, several other groups listed did not even exist. The surprise Liberal agreement caused a great outcry in the Chinese Canadian community, as the purported deal with the NCCC had been conducted without their input, resulting in an escalation in

1656-614: The 43rd act passed in 1980 would be 1980 chapter 43. The full reference includes the (short) title and would be the Magistrate's Court Act 1980 (c. 43). Until the 1980s, acts of the Australian state of Victoria were numbered in a continuous sequence from 1857; thus the Age of Majority Act 1977 was No. 9075 of 1977. Head tax (Canada) The Chinese head tax was a fixed fee charged to every Chinese person entering Canada . The head tax

1728-409: The Chinese Canadian Redress Alliance alongside the CCNC. When Paul Martin won the leadership of the federal Liberal Party and became prime minister in 2003, there was a sense of urgency in the Chinese Canadian community as it became clear that there were perhaps only a few dozen surviving Chinese Head Tax payers left, along with potentially a few hundred spouses or widows. In 2004, Doudou Diène,

1800-636: The Chinese community and calls for immigration reform. They were also said to be "subject to loathsome diseases and demoralising habits" and considered to be an "unassimilable people." As a result of the public's distrust of Chinese immigrants, the province of British Columbia reconsidered their legal status between the years 1872 and 1885. In 1884, for example, British Columbia's Legislature attempted to "prevent their immigration, to impose an annual poll tax of $ 10, and to forbid their acquisition of Crown Lands." Dissatisfaction with Chinese immigration grew, and in 1885,

1872-577: The Chinese community on redress, should the Conservatives be called to form the next government. Before his party ultimately lost the election, Martin issued a personal apology on a Chinese language radio program. However, he was quickly criticized by the Chinese Canadian community for not issuing the apology in the House of Commons and for then trying to dismiss it completely in the English-speaking media on

1944-490: The Conservative Party to stop the passage of Bill C-333. The Conservatives exercised a procedural prerogative and switched the order of Bill C-333 with Bill C-331, a bill to recognize past wrongs against Ukrainian Canadians during wartime, causing Bill C-333 to die when Prime Minister Martin's Liberals lost a motion of non-confidence and parliament was dissolved on November 28, 2005. As they had done while campaigning for

2016-501: The House of Commons, or S- if they originate in the Senate. For example, Bill C-250 was a private member's bill introduced in the House. Bills C-1 and S-1 are pro forma bills, and are introduced at the beginning of each session in order to assert the right of each Chamber to manage its own affairs. They are introduced and read a first time, and then are dropped from the Order Paper . In

2088-524: The United Kingdom, Canada's House of Commons , Lok Sabha of India and Ireland's Dáil as a matter of law. Conversely, bills proposed by the Law Commission and consolidation bills traditionally start in the House of Lords . Once introduced, a bill must go through a number of stages before it can become law. In theory, this allows the bill's provisions to be debated in detail, and for amendments to

2160-399: The act limited the number of Chinese immigrants to the extent that a 300-ton ship could only carry six Chinese immigrants to Canada. The act was amended in 1887 to allow Chinese women who were married to non-Chinese men to enter Canada, as well as Chinese passing through Canada via the railway. An additional amendment in 1892 required Chinese residents of Canada who wished to temporarily leave

2232-641: The age of eighteen. Several notable Canadian politicians protested these policies. These included John Diefenbaker , a member of the Progressive Conservative party who was very supportive of human rights, and Stanley Knowles , a member of the CCF who protested the unequal treatment of the Chinese. As a result of protest against strict immigration regulations, during the late 1960s, the Canadian government altered their policies to include immigrants who were admitted to

Chinese Immigration Act, 1885 - Misplaced Pages Continue

2304-526: The anti-immigration sentiment in British Columbia, the Canadian government of John A. Macdonald introduced the Chinese Immigration Act , which became law in 1885. Under its regulations, the law stipulated that all Chinese people entering Canada must first pay a CA$ 50 (equivalent to $ 1,749 in 2023) fee, later referred to as a head tax . This was amended in 1887, 1892, and 1900, with

2376-506: The bill, and may make amendments to it. Significant amendments may be made at the committee stage. In some cases, whole groups of clauses are inserted or removed. However, if the Government holds a majority, almost all the amendments which are agreed to in committee will have been tabled by the Government to correct deficiencies in the bill or to enact changes to policy made since the bill was introduced (or, in some cases, to import material which

2448-487: The case of the internment of Japanese Canadians was not a legal precedent. Two subsequent appeals in 2002 and 2003 were also unsuccessful. Following the legal setbacks, community activism resumed once again across the country. Several regional and national events had been organized to revitalize the redress campaign, including opening discussions with opposition parties, led by groups in Edmonton and Montreal, which later formed

2520-722: The clause stand part of the bill are made. In the Report stage, the debate is on the motions for specific amendments. Once a bill has passed both Houses in an identical form, it is presented to the Governor General , who gives it royal assent . Although the Governor General can refuse to assent a bill, this power has never been exercised. Bills being reviewed by Parliament are assigned numbers: 2 to 200 for government bills, 201 to 1000 for private member's bills , and 1001 up for private bills . They are preceded by C- if they originate in

2592-471: The complete exclusion of Chinese immigration. That was achieved through the same law that ended the head tax: the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923 , which stopped Chinese immigration, but with certain exemptions for business owners and others. It is sometimes referred to by opponents as the Chinese Exclusion Act , a term also used for its American counterpart . After the Chinese Immigration Act

2664-573: The country based on "their skills and the capital they had for investment" as opposed to their "family relationships." In the 1980s, voices for redress emerged in the Chinese-Canadian community. Organizations that strove for promoting the rights of all individuals, particularly those of Chinese Canadians, encouraged their full and equal participation in Canadian society. In the 1980s, the Chinese Canadian National Council , or CCNC, began to collect head tax certificates, and in 1984 "the CCNC presented

2736-639: The country to protest the presence of Chinese people in economic and social settings. In 1887, a riot occurred in Vancouver in protest of Chinese land clearing crews. In 1907, another riot occurred in Vancouver in which participants protested all Chinese immigration. Numerous Canadian provinces disenfranchised the Chinese or placed heavy restrictions on them in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The province of Saskatchewan disenfranchised them in 1908. The province of British Columbia placed various restrictions on them, including "Natal Acts," which incorporated

2808-435: The country to register with an immigration official prior to their departure. In 1900, the head tax was raised to $ 100 by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier , due to a still growing influx of Chinese immigrants. In 1903, this was further raised to $ 500, "An equivalent of two year’s wages for a Chinese labourer." Companies in short supply of cheap labour would often advance this money to bring Chinese immigrants to Canada. The act

2880-563: The election of the minority Conservative government in 2006, Stephen Harper affirmed his position on Chinese immigration: Chinese Canadians are making an extraordinary impact on the building of our country. They've also made a significant historical contribution despite many obstacles. That's why, as I said during the election campaign, the Chinese Canadian community deserves an apology for the head tax and appropriate acknowledgement and redress. Effective 29 August 2006, Canada's redress program combined "payments to individual head tax payers, (or, if

2952-468: The estimated 4,000 registrants. On June 22, 2006, twenty-two years after the Chinese Canadian redress campaign began, Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered an official apology to Chinese Canadians in the House of Commons for the first session of the 39th Parliament. During his address Harper spoke a few words in Cantonese , " Ga na daai doe heep " ( Chinese : 加拿大道歉 , 'Canada Apologizes'), breaking

Chinese Immigration Act, 1885 - Misplaced Pages Continue

3024-447: The fee increasing to CA$ 100 (equivalent to $ 3,847 in 2023) in 1900 and later to its maximum of CA$ 500 in 1903 (equivalent to $ 18,000 in 2023), representing a two-year salary of an immigrant worker at that time. However, not all Chinese arrivals had to pay the head tax; those who were better off financially and presumed to return to China based on the apparent, transitory nature of their occupation or background were exempt from

3096-442: The government with a list of names of 2,300 surviving Chinese who had each paid a head tax." A subsequent survey by the CCNC "found that of the 867 respondents who completed the questionnaire, forty-six percent were in favor of an official apology and a symbolic redress to the individual victims, while thirty-eight percent also supported some form of community redress." In 1990, the CCNC successfully lobbied for political endorsement for

3168-467: The handful of surviving "head tax" payers and their widows or spouses, but first-generation sons and daughters who were direct victims, as recounted in the documentary Lost Years: A People's Struggle for Justice , proposing that the redress be represented (and limited) by each, actual "head tax" certificate brought forward by its surviving family members, or estate. Early demands from community groups for individual redress, ranged from $ 10,000 to $ 30,000 for

3240-533: The internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War , offered by the government in 1988, established a precedent for redressing other racially motivated policies. However, the Ontario court declared in its 2001 decision that the Government of Canada had no obligation to redress the head tax levied on Chinese immigrants because the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms had no retroactive application and

3312-663: The law in particular geographic areas. In the United Kingdom Parliament, each bill passes through the following stages: In the Scottish Parliament, bills pass through the following stages: There are special procedures for emergency bills, member's bills (similar to private member's bills in the UK Parliament), committee bills, and private bills. In Singapore, the bill passes through these certain stages before becoming into an Act of Parliament. Acts passed by

3384-513: The media profile, conducting research and published materials, making presentations at schools, etc. In 1989, Chinese Canadian National Council, the longtime advocate for the head Tax redress, suffered a split after the Tiananmen Square Massacre , which saw the formation of a competing group, the National Congress of Chinese Canadians (NCCC). In 1993, Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney made an offer of individual medallions,

3456-591: The mid- to late 19th century, some 17,000 labourers were brought from China to do construction work on the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), though they were paid a third or a half less than their co-workers (about CA$ 1/day). Once the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed, the demand for cheap labour was non-existent, so the provincial legislature of British Columbia passed a strict law to virtually prevent Chinese immigration in 1885. However, this

3528-491: The mid-nineteenth century, it has also become common practice for acts to have a short title , as a convenient alternative to the sometimes lengthy main titles. The Short Titles Act 1892 , and its replacement the Short Titles Act 1896 , gave short titles to many acts which previously lacked them. The numerical citation of acts has also changed over time. The original method was based on the regnal year (or years) in which

3600-422: The original bill to also be introduced, debated, and agreed to. In bicameral parliaments, a bill that has been approved by the chamber into which it was introduced then sends the bill to the other chamber. Broadly speaking, each chamber must separately agree to the same version of the bill. Finally, the approved bill receives assent; in most territories this is merely a formality and is often a function exercised by

3672-404: The overall consensus on the state of Chinese immigration was a vocalized demand for its restriction. Claims against the Chinese were slanderous and were found to have little evidence behind them. Despite this, the commission recommended a moderate legislation against Chinese immigration and proposed a $ 10 head tax . The act was enacted as a result of the findings of the commission. The act imposed

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3744-446: The parliament before it can become a law. In territories with a Westminster system , most bills that have any possibility of becoming law are introduced into parliament by the government. This will usually happen following the publication of a " white paper ", setting out the issues and the way in which the proposed new law is intended to deal with them. A bill may also be introduced into parliament without formal government backing; this

3816-476: The parliamentary tradition of speaking either English and French in the House of Commons. To the disappointment of many in the Chinese Canadian community, it was announced that only original head tax payers, or their surviving spouses, then in their nineties, or a total 785 claimants, would receive CAD$ 20,000 in individual redress, representing less than a fraction of one-percent of the 81,000 original head tax payers. Only an estimated 20 Chinese Canadians who paid

3888-416: The payer is deceased, to their spouse) with funding for educative and commemorative programs." The act was tremendously important as a result of it being the first of its kind in Canada's history and subsequently laying down the foundations for future exclusionary policies and acts. The act laid down the legal framework for head taxes, which were later refined even more harshly. As such, immigration from China

3960-467: The penalty. These included arrivals identifying themselves as: students, teachers, missionaries, merchants, or members of the diplomatic corps. The Government of Canada collected about CA$ 23 million ($ 393 million in 2023 dollars) in face value from about 81,000 head tax payers. The head tax did discourage Chinese women and children from joining their men, but it failed to meet its goal, articulated by contemporary politicians and labour leaders, of

4032-404: The privilege of exemption provided for by section four of this Act." Furthermore, vessels that were transporting Chinese immigrants were permitted to only carry one Chinese immigrant per fifty tonnes of the ship's weight. This law also prevented any Chinese immigrant who suffered from a contagious disease , such as leprosy , or any Chinese woman who was known to have been a prostitute . Therefore,

4104-456: The province of British Columbia, particularly in the cities of New Westminster and Victoria. In addition to their work on the CPR, early immigrants were employed in occupations that included mining, forestry, and fishing. Although initially welcome in Canada, an increasing fear that immigrants would take jobs from Canadians, as well as a fear of Chinese people in general, resulted in the ostracization of

4176-572: The redress movement, nationwide. Bill C-333, the Chinese Canadian Recognition and Redress Act , a private member's bill , was tabled in the federal parliament in order to implement the deal in November 2005. While C-333 purported to acknowledge, commemorate and educate about past government wrongdoings, it fell far short of the apology demanded by generations of Chinese Canadians. The Ontario Coalition of Head Tax Payers and Families lobbied

4248-415: The relevant parliamentary session met. This has been replaced in most territories by simple reference to the calendar year, with the first act passed being chapter 1, and so on. In the United Kingdom, legislation has referenced by year and chapter number since 1963 ( Acts of Parliament Numbering and Citation Act 1962 ). Each act is numbered consecutively based on the date it received royal assent, for example

4320-457: The representative group to negotiate the deal without any prior consultation with the Chinese Canadian community at large. The Department of Canadian Heritage announced on November 24, 2005 that the agreed upon funding would be reduced to $ 2.5 million. It was later revealed that the Minister for Asia and Pacific Affairs, Raymond Chan , who claimed to have negotiated the deal, purposely misled both

4392-451: The result of a demand for cheap labour in the West. Major labour shortages in British Columbia threatened the economic viability of Canada. Thus, as a way to bring the West economic efficiency, Chinese immigration was encouraged in the early 1880s. Furthermore, the CPR was formed to physically unite Canada, and industrialists desired cheap labour to complete its construction. Founded in 1881, the CPR

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4464-475: The very same day. Several Liberal candidates with significant Chinese-Canadian populations in their ridings , including Vancouver-Kingsway MP David Emerson and the Minister of State for Multiculturalism and Richmond MP Raymond Chan, also made futile attempts to change their positions in the midst of the campaign. Notably, Deputy Prime Minister and Edmonton Centre MP Anne McLellan lost her riding to Conservative MP Laurie Hawn . The 2006 federal election

4536-534: Was completed on 7 November 1885, "six years ahead of schedule, when the last spike was driven at Craigellachie, B.C." Following its completion, the demand for Chinese immigration decreased significantly. Immigration to Canada also resulted from troubling political and social circumstances in China. Over 44,000 immigrants arrived in Canada between 1858 and 1923, most of whom were "male, relatively uneducated, and unskilled." Most Chinese immigrants during this period resided in

4608-426: Was eventually superseded in 1923 by the Chinese Immigration Act, 1923 , also known as the "Chinese Exclusion Act", which banned Chinese immigration entirely. Following the implementation of the act, prejudice against the Chinese grew across Canada. During the 1890s, for example, labour organizers in cities that included Quebec City, Montreal, and Toronto objected to Chinese immigration. Numerous riots occurred across

4680-481: Was first levied after the Canadian parliament passed the Chinese Immigration Act of 1885 and it was meant to discourage Chinese people from entering Canada after the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). The tax was abolished by the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923 , which outright prevented all Chinese immigration except for that of business people, clergy, educators, students, and some others. Through

4752-417: Was greatly reduced until the 1940s. The aim of establishing a "white" society for Canada, as Kenneth Munro explains, "such discrimination flew in the face of that crucial premise of Canadian nationhood, namely, respect for diversity of culture and traditions." Act of Parliament A draft act of parliament is known as a bill . In other words, a bill is a proposed law that needs to be discussed in

4824-403: Was immediately struck down by the courts as ultra vires ("beyond the powers") of the provincial legislative assembly, as it impinged upon federal jurisdiction over immigration into Canada. A similar attempt had been made a year before, and another one was made in 1878 to tax every Chinese over the age of 12 the sum of taxed $ 10 (equivalent to $ 385 in 2023) every three months. Responding to

4896-757: Was led by Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau and John Hamilton Gray , who gathered testimony regarding Chinese immigration at public hearings across British Columbia and compared these testimonies to those gathered on the Pacific Coast of the United States . The testimonies of 51 people were submitted. Only two Chinese witnesses were consulted: two officials from the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco . Multiple viewpoints were reported, including some in favour of Chinese immigration on an economic efficiency scale. However,

4968-499: Was not ready when the bill was presented). The debate on each stage is actually debate on a specific motion. For the first reading, there is no debate. For the second reading, the motion is "That this bill be now read a second time and be referred to [name of committee]" and for third reading "That this bill be now read a third time and pass." In the Committee stage, each clause is called and motions for amendments to these clauses, or that

5040-412: Was passed in 1882. In the early 1880s, during the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), as many as 17,000 Chinese immigrants came to Canada to work as labourers . Many individuals arrived from China, but others came from American states that included Washington, Oregon, and California, following their work on railroads and in mining camps. The arrival of the Chinese in Canada was partially

5112-481: Was repealed in 1948, various community leaders including Wong Foon Sien campaigned for the federal government to open immigration policies for the Chinese community. However, the concept of a redress movement did not begin until 1984, when Vancouver Member of Parliament (MP) Margaret Mitchell raised the issue of repaying the Chinese Head Tax for two of her constituents in the House of Commons of Canada after

5184-458: Was won by the Conservative Party, forming a minority government . Three days after the ballots had been counted on January 23, but before he had been appointed prime minister, Harper reiterated his position on the head tax issue in a news conference, that "the Chinese Canadian community deserves an apology for the head tax and appropriate acknowledgement and redress." Early discussions on the form of apology and redress began on March 24, 2006, with

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